New bug kills young to stop dengue
31 Oct 2011, 6:59 PM
Eleanor Johnstone
An experiment by British biotechnology company Oxitec Limited has yielded mosquitoes genetically engineered to prevent the spread of dengue fever by killing their own offspring.
The mosquitoes, formally termed aedes aegypti RIDL strain, transmit a lethal gene to their offspring which kills them before they reach maturity. Only male mosquitoes carry the gene.
The engineered mosquitoes were first released in the Cayman Islands in 2009 in a 25-acre area. A report published yesterday (October 30) revealed signs of success.
According to the traps, genetically engineered male mosquitoes accounted for 16 percent of the total male population in the test area, while 10 percent of the larvae contained the lethal gene. Scientists concluded that although genetically engineered males were half as successful at mating as normal mosquitoes, their activities would still suppress the population in dengue-endemic areas.
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